Growth of adolescents who were born at extremely low birth weight without major disability

https://doi.org/10.1067/mpd.2000.104291Get rights and content

Objective: To compare growth between adolescents who were born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW, ≤1000 g) and adolescents who were born at normal birth weight (NBW, ≥2500 g).

Design/Methods: Cross-sectional design. Fifty-three ELBW and 53 NBW adolescents without a major neurodevelopmental disability were matched by sex, race, age, and socioeconomic status. Anthropometrics (z scores), bone age, body composition (Lunar DPX-L densitometry), and sexual maturity were assessed. ELBW adolescents were classified as being born small for gestational age (SGA) or not (NSGA).

Results: Subjects were 58.5% female, 43.4% black, and 56.6% white. The mean birth weight for ELBW subjects was 849 g and 3355 g for NBW subjects. The mean age was 14.85 years. On average, ELBW adolescents were 4.8 cm shorter and 9.1 kg lighter than NBW adolescents. ELBW adolescents had lower mean z scores for height (P < .0001), weight (P < .0001), and head circumference (P < .0001) than NBW adolescents. ELBW/SGA subjects had lower mean z scores for height (P < .0001) and weight (P = .001) than NBW subjects. Head circumference z scores were lower for the ELBW/SGA group than the ELBW/NSGA group or the NBW group (P = .003). Sexual maturity and relative body composition were similar between groups. Bone age, measured in SD units, was more advanced in the ELBW group (0.86 vs. 0.42, P = .039).

Conclusions: ELBW adolescents who survive without a major neurodevelopmental disability attain lower growth measurements compared with NBW adolescents but have similar sexual maturation and relative body composition.

References (32)

  • T Hirata et al.

    When they grow up: the growth of extremely low birth weight (< or = 1000 g) infants at adolescence

    J Pediatr

    (1998)
  • P Rantakallio

    A 14-Year follow-up of children with normal and abnormal birth weight for their gestational age

    Acta Paediatr Scand

    (1985)
  • K Stjernqvist et al.

    Extremely low-birth-weight infants less than 901 g. Growth and development after one year of life

    Acta Paediatr

    (1993)
  • M Hack et al.

    Catch-up growth in very low birthweight infants

    AJDC

    (1984)
  • M Hack et al.

    Catch-up growth during childhood among very low-blrth-weight children

    Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med

    (1996)
  • WH Kitchen et al.

    VeW low birth weight and growth to age 8 years I: weight and height

    AJDC

    (1992)
  • Cited by (84)

    • Nutrition and growth in infants born preterm from birth to adulthood

      2013, Early Human Development
      Citation Excerpt :

      The mean z scores of the extremely-low-birth-weight survivors for anthropometric parameters were below 0 (weight: − 0.35; height: − 0.55) whereas control participants showed mean z scores for weight and length above 0 (weight: 0.40; height: 0.28). Peralta-Carcelen et al. [30] compared the growth of 53 adolescents who were born at extremely low birth weight and had not developed a major neurodevelopmental disability, and 53 controls matched by sex, race, age, and socioeconomic status. On average, extremely-low-birth-weight adolescents were 4.8 cm shorter and 9.1 kg lighter than normal birth weight adolescents whereas pubertal development and body composition, assessed by means of dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, were similar between the two groups.

    View all citing articles on Scopus

    Supported in part by the National Institutes of Health MCAP award 3 M01 RR00032-35S3, and the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research Contract no. DHHS 290-92-0055.

    View full text